Material-handling apparatus



Sept. 22, 1925.

H. A. LEWIS MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS Filed 00%,. 17, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet. l

Sept. 22, 1925.

H. A. LEWIS MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed on. 17, 1924 R M R 0 m k w T a Qm,i N A f I E i L II J V l n N u A 7v mi 1m um n uh K/ /7 Z \N\\\\\\ \\n Patented Sept. 22, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY A. LEWIS, OF NbRRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNO'R OF ONE-HALF TO ALAN D. WOOD, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

MATERIAL-HANDLING AiPPARATUS.

Application filed October 17, 1924. Serial No. 744,199.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY A. LEWIS,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Norristown, in the county of Montgomery and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Material-Handling Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to material handling apparatus and particularly to annealing furnaces and apparatus for handling the material to be annealed. V

The invention constitutes an improvement w 1 over my prior Patent 1,367,061, issued February 1, 1921.

7 One object of my invention is to provide an improved form and arrangement of furnaces of the character referred to.

2 Another object of my invention is toprovideimproved means for supporting and manipulating the material to e treated in the furnace.

' One of the forms which my invention may 26 takeis shown in the accompanying drawing wherein Fig. 1 is a view, partially in end 'elevation and partially in section, of a furnace 'farrangement and operating mechanism embod ing my invention; Fig. 2 is a a0 view, partia y in side elevation and artially m sectigp, of the apparatus of ig. 1; and Fig. 3 1s a sectional plan view of the apparatus of Figs. 1 and 2.

. The furnace comprises a lower com artas ment 4 hereinafter termed the water c amher, having a bottom wall 5 end walls 6 and side walls 7 that may be formed of reinforced concrete or other suitable material. Supported upon the side and end 40 walls of the chamber 4 is an annealing chamber 8 through which the articles to be heated are assed. The chamber is provided with the usual top and side walls and the end doors 9 and 10. The chamber 8 46 is an ported intermediate its ends by lonfrom any desired source, andv the level (W: therein is preferably maintained at the level of the overflow pipe (Fig. 1). A drain valve 20 is also provided to clear the chem. ber of water when desired. The overflow and the water is drained oif to a cooling to reservoir-through a pipe 21. Wter may of course be supplied to the cha ber 4y continuously or intermittently, as esired.

Pairs of pillars or piers 22 are mounted within the chamber 4 for supporting shafts 23 upon which are mounted rocker arms 24, pivotally connected to and spaced axially of "the shafts 23. To the outer end of each arm 24 is connected a lever or oscillator 25. The oscillators 25 are provided intermediate their ends with enlargements 26 that are ringlike or annular in form, for the reception of eccentrics 27. The eccentrics 27 are rigidly secured to shafts 28 that are rotatably supported in bearings 29 (Fig. 1) and are provided on their outer ends with beveled gear wheels 30, some of the ear wheels being omitted in 2 for t e sake of elearness.

The gear wheels 30are driven by bevel 'pinions 31 that are m unted upon a shaft 32 which is connect through a beveled gear wheel 33 with a bevel pinion 34 mount ed upon a shaft 35 which is driven by differential mechanism 36 having worm wheels 37 that are driven by motor-s38. This arrangement of motors and differential mechanism makes for uniformit of speed and smoothness of movement 0 the apparatus just described.

' To operate the apparatus, the doors 9 and 10 are first opened by means of a motor 40 which, through sultable connections, moves the chains 41 that are connected to cords or cables 42, thatpass around suitable sheaves, as shown in Fig. 2, and are connected .to the doors 9 and 10 to raise the same.. The motors 38 are then started to operate the eccentrics 27 and impart an oscillatory movement to the levers 25. Sheets of material 43 are supplied through the furnace door 9 and are engaged by the upper ends of the levers 25. -Preferably the levers 25 are actuated at a relatively fast speed durin this stage of the operation. As soon,as t e material has entered the furnace the doors are closed and the speed of the motors 38 reduced softhat the material will move through the furnace at a low rate of speed in order that it may be properly heat-treated by the time it reaches the outlet door 10. The purpose in continuously moving the sheets'of material terial and with their outer ends disposed in 43 while in the furnace is to avoid-streaking or marking ofthe sheets by reason of their contact with the levers .25, and to maintain the heated air in the furnace in a .state of a i'tation so that sheets "will be uniformly eated. i

The purpose "of the water chamber is to lubricate the bearings of shafts 32, 23 and 28 that are located within the chamber as well as the bearings for the other moving parts contained therein, and also to prevent such mechanism from becoming overheated through heat being conducted thereto through the annealing chamber. Further the water protects the bearings fromdust which may fall through the. openings 16, in that such dust will not circulate through the chamber 4. i

The shafting within the chamber 4 may preferably run in rubber bearin s without oil. A stufiing box 45 is providedin the end of the chamber 44 to prevent leakage of water along the shaft 32.

Claims to the general arrangement above described form the basis of my-application, Serial No. 743,986 filed October 16, 1924.

Various changes in detail and general a'r rangement niay be made without departing from'the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the accompanying claims.

I claim as my invention: 1. Means for moving material; comprising a plurality oflevers mounted in staggered relation to the line of movement of the maposition to engage and move said material, means for pivotally supporting said levers at-their inner ends, and means for imparting outward and forward movement'to the outer ends of said levers in an annular 'path which is parallel to the path of movement of the material.

2. Material handling apparatus comprising levers whose outer ends are offset vertically relatively to one another and adapted for impartingan outward and forward movement to the outer endsof said levers, comprising eccentrics connected to said le vers intermediate their ends, the inner ends ofsaid levers being pivotally'supported against substantial movement forwardly.

4. Material handling apparatus comprising levers whose outer ends are adapted to engage and move the material, and means for imparting an outward and forward movementto the outer ends of said levers, comprising eccentrics connected to said levers intermediate theirends, the inner ends of said levers being pivotally connected to the ends of rocker arms that extend in a direction substantially at right angles to the levers, and which are in turn pivotally connected to a fixed support to prevent substantial forward movement of said inner ends.

5. Material handling apparatus comprising a pair of levers whose outer ends are adapted to engage the material to be moved, rocker arms to which the inner ends of the levers are connected, and means for imparting an eccentric movement to one of said levers intermediate its ends in one direction and 'to simultaneously impart a similar movement to the other lever in the opposite direction, whereby said levers are caused to alternately move toward and from the material and 1n a direction parallel to the path of movement of said material.

ends of the levers are pivotally connected,

and means for imparting aneccentric movement to one of said levers intermediate its v ends 1n one direction and to simultaneously impart a similar movement to the other lever in theopposit-e direction,-whereby said levers are causedto alternately move against and away from the material and in a direction substantially parallel to the path of movement of said material while in engagement therewith, and a common drivmg mechanism for said pairs of levers.

Material-handling apparatus comprising a pluralityof pairs of levers whose outer ends are adapted to engage the material to be moved, rocker arms to which the inner 'endsof the lovers are connected, means for imparting an eccentric movement to one of said levers intermediate its ends 1n. one d1- rection and to simultaneously impart a similar movement to the other lever in the opposite direction whereby said levers are caused to alternately move toward and from the material and in a direction parallel to the path of movement of said material to move the same, and a common driving mechanism for HARRY A. LEWIS. 

